With Support From

Latest Episode

Judd Apatow is one of the busiest and most notable behind the scenes guys alive today. Name 10 huge critically acclaimed comedy hits off the top your head, and Judd's probably worked on half of them: The Larry Sanders Show, Knocked Up, Bridesmaids, Funny People, The Big Sick, Train Wreck, Girls - it just goes on and on. But now, for the first time in over 25 years, he's back on stage. He's been performing live for the last couple years and now he's got his first ever hour long special. It's called Judd Apatow: The Return and it debuts on Netflix this week.
Then, Romesh Ranganathan. He's a British stand up and TV host. And while he might not be a household name stateside, he's looking to change that. Romseh just rented a giant amphitheater in Los Angeles for his big debut - it seats nearly 6,000 people. When we first heard about this in November, he'd sold only 74 tickets. Jesse talks with him about why he's doing it, how his family's history informed his comedy, and what it's like going from crying once a month in a corporate bathroom stall to selling out concert halls in London... and hopefully LA. Show notes

Podcast: TSOYA: Soul Sides with Oliver Wang

Oliver Wang, PhD, is the man behind the popular soul and hip-hop blog Soul Sides. He's also a professor at the California State University at Long Beach, and a long-time club and radio DJ (as DJ O-Dub). He recently produced the second of a series of CD compilations of classic soul: "Soul Sides Volume Two: The Covers." It collects classic and contemporary cover tunes by soul artists both well known (Al Green performing the Beatles "I Wanna Hold Your Hand") and more obscure (Bill Withers' classic "Kissing My Love" performed by Spanky Wilson). We discuss a few of the tracks with Dr. Wang as well as his new career in academe.

Comments

I had to search for Oliver Wang after, Peggy, a woman in her mid 60s that works in my company's human resource management division told me that she listens to his music. When she first said she listened to his music I figured he was a classical composer, but she told me he did hip hop. Just the thought of an old lady listening to hip hop made me search out Wang's music. She is, indeed, and unlikely listener.

Wed, 06/20/2007 - 11:24 — VoteJoe (not verified)

I really loved this interview. I didn't know about Soul Sides until now. One cover that I would like to have seen on the comp is the band Africa covering...well, damn, they cover a lot on their one album, but most notable is their version of "Light My Fire" as sampled by J Dilla. I'd also like to see rock artists covering soul songs, like Devo's "Workin In The Coal Mine" or The Wolfgang Press' "Respect."I am a nerd